Nigeria’s Oluwafolayemi Akinyosoye delivered one of the biggest upsets of the 23rd African Fencing Championships in Lagos on Thursday, stunning Olympic silver medallist and top seed Fares Farjani of Tunisia in the men’s individual sabre preliminary round.
Akinyosoye, 20, who recently switched allegiance to Nigeria after previously representing England at cadet and junior levels, edged Farjani 5-4 in a tightly contested bout. The win electrified the crowd and marked a major milestone in the young fencer’s career.
His momentum continued into the round of 16, where he defeated Algeria’s Lotfi Ibrihen 15-9 in commanding fashion. However, his dream run came to an end in the quarter-finals after a 15-8 loss to Tunisia’s Ahmed Ferjani, the sixth seed.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Inkosi Brou, a bronze medallist at the African Junior Championships and grandson of the late NAFDAC DG Prof. Dora Akunyili, also impressed but narrowly missed a podium finish. He advanced through the early rounds before falling 15-11 in the round of 16 to Niger Republic’s fifth seed, Evann Girault.
In another surprise twist, defending champion Farjani suffered a second defeat, this time in the round of 16, where he lost 15-13 to Egypt’s Adham Moataz, opening up the competition further in the men’s sabre event.
On the women’s side, Nigeria’s young epee fencers Sarah Idongesit and Adebodunrin progressed from the group stage to the knockout rounds. Despite their strong performances, both were eliminated in the round of 32 by more experienced opponents from Morocco and Algeria.
The African Fencing Championships continue Friday, June 27, with action in the men’s individual foil and women’s sabre events.
